Tennis Dreams
by Mika Nakane
Summary: What if the "Prince" of tennis was actually a princess? Nothing good, of course. Follow Sato Yuki on her adventure in Seigaku...
1. Chapter 1

"…Eh? I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" 12-year-old Yuki Asahino asked, praying that it wasn't what she heard.

"I _said_, the Seigaku Tennis club is only for boys. It looks like you can't join after all." Her mother repeated apologetically. Yuki gasped in horror. Her lifetime dream, becoming a professional tennis player, had just gone down the drain.

"Aww, it's really too bad, huh? You were looking foreword to it so much. Maybe you should try again in high school?" Yuki's father suggested, patting her back. Unfortunately, Yuki realized that by the time she was in high school, she would need to fully concentrate on her studies. Not that it was a problem, she was originally the smartest student in her old school, and she had previously concluded that it would be the same in Seigaku. But she hadn't chosen Seigaku for it's educational or friendly purposes. She had chosen it for its amazing tennis club.

To Yuki, the news melted in slowly. First she realized that she couldn't join because she was a girl. Then she realized that going to Seigaku was therefore useless.

Her crying was quite audible as Yuki ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Why does it have to be like this? I thought Seigaku had a girls _and_ boys tennis club!" Yuki sobbed, understanding what would become of her dream. She cried so loudly that she didn't even notice the knock on her door.

"Yuki? I'm coming in!" her older brother said, walking in the room. After observing her cry for a while, he stared at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Do you really want to join that much?" Kazu asked. He noticed Yuki nod slightly.

"Then I think there might be a way." Kazu concluded. Yuki lifted her head to face him, a thoughtful look on her face.

"If there's a way, tell me how! Please Kazu!" Yuki begged. With a smile, Kazu continued.

"Then you'll have to turn into a boy."

"A… a boy?" Yuki said in surprise. The she calmed down.

"Is there another way?"

There's no other way that I know of. Besides, you can still be a girl when you're at school. Just turn into a boy whenever you have tennis practices!" Kazu advised.

"But I'm known for being one the most feminine in my old school! Besides, what about…"

"Your chest? You'll have to bind it. Mom already agreed to help if you decide to." Kazu reassured.

Yuki blinked 3 times, absolutely clueless about what to do. First she found out she couldn't join the tennis team because she was a girl, and now her older brother was telling her to become a boy?

"How about this: Give it a try, if you don't like it or something goes wrong the first month, you can abandon your boy look?" Yuki actually considered it now. If she had a month to test it, she could try to fake being the opposite gender.

"Alright, I'll give it a ry." She finally said.

"Great! We'll go shopping tomorrow for a wig and Mom can help you practice binding your chest." Kazu said enthusiastically.

"Wait…why are you helping me? Didn't you hate me before?" Yuki questioned.

"Think of it as my thanks for not telling mom about the party." Kazu said sheepishly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day passed quickly for Yuki. She went shopping with her brother and tried on at least 100 wigs before they found one that suited her. Kazu made an effort to get a wig that was exactly the same colour as Yuki's hair- medium brown with side bangs that reached halfway down her back. Kazu had reminded her that if she left out a strand of hair while wearing the wig, it wouldn't look abnormal.

By the end of her "gender change", she could walk into a store and have no one doubt her appearance at all.

"There! Now you're ready to go!" Kazu applauded.

"Thanks!" Yuki answered.

"We just need to get Seigaku's boy uniform. You'll be a girl in class, and a boy at tennis club!"

Yuki was certainly grateful for her brother helping her, but somehow she was doubtful the plan would work. However, she decided to ignore her suspicions and go along.

It was finally the first day of school. Yuki started to feel nervous while putting on the girl's uniform of Seigaku. She ate her breakfast as fast as she could, and ran out the door while tying up her hair in ponytails. Yuki was _never_ late for the first day, but at that rate, she would be.

Luckily, there were still many students around when she arrived.

"Alright! Starting to day, I'm a freshman at Seigaku! I'll give it my all!" Yuki exclaimed, trying to ease her nervousness.

The day passed quickly. She met all her teachers, and made many friends. At last, the bell rang, and the tennis club sign-ups were being held near the tennis courts.

"Hmm…is this okay? I think I put it on right- ugh, this uniform is so uncomfortable!" Yuki complained while hanging in the boy's bathroom. Finally, she was satisfied with her appearance, and jogged towards the tennis courts.

"Sign-ups over here! Make a line! Seigaku tennis club sign-ups over here!" a 3rd year yelled, directing a large group of students toward a sign-up sheet. Another 3rd year was writing down the names of those who wanted to join hurriedly.

"Excuse me, I would like to sign up." Yuki said, emerging from the crowd.

"Sure! Your name and year, please." the senior asked. Yuki froze. Her name? Kazu hadn't mentioned that, and surely she couldn't say her real name. Hmm…or maybe she could…if she just changed her last name…

"My name is Yuki Satou, I'm a freshman." Yuki quickly said. She wasn't sure where she got "Satou" from. Maybe one of her teachers? Probably.

"Thanks for signing up! Freshman are to pick up balls and train until their junior year. Currently, they are practicing swings. Would you like to join them?" the rather polite 3rd year asked. Yuki nodded, and ran off to get her racket and practice swings.

"This is annoying. I won the primary championships when I was younger, and here I am practicing swings?" she muttered to herself.

"Hey look! The regulars are coming!" someone said, and there was excited murmuring. Yuki turned her head to look, and to her delight, 7 of the 8 regulars walked into the courts. Even though she had never met them before, she could name every one- Oishi, Kikumaru, Fuji, Inui, Kawamura, Momoshiro, and Kaidou. They made a short welcoming announcement to the new members, and started their own practices. Yuki stopped doing swings so she could watch. She realized that they were hitting balls into a basket. _Looks quite easy, _she thought.

Yuki was so into watching them that she didn't notice a group of 3 freshmen walk up behind her_. _

"Hello! If I remember correctly, your name is Yuki, right? I overheard the sign-ups!" the smallest one said.

"Yes! I just joined today-" Yuki paused and realized she was talking like a girl. So she tried to make a lower voice and finished with "It's nice to meet you.". The 3 freshmen looked confused but ignored it.

"I'm Horio, and I have 2 years of tennis experience!" Horio bragged.

"I'm Katsuo!" another one said.

"And I'm Kachiro!" the short one said.

"Oh I see… the freshman trio then." Yuki decided.

"What? No! I am Satoshi Horio, with 2 years of-"

"I'm going to go and watch the regulars again." Yuki interrupted. She entered the courts and started to pick up balls as an excuse to observe the regulars. "Hmm…they're all quite unique." She said with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **

**I just realized that I forgot the disclaimers, as well as some other important details. I guess I'll start adding them from now on. **

**First of all, I do not own Prince of Tennis. Prince of Tennis belongs to Takeshi Konomi. I only own my OC, Yuki. **

**Anyway, let me explain a few things. In this story, what I did was replace Ryoma with Yuki. I know, it's mean, but I'll probably add him in later, if I will at all. Another thing, in the first two chapters I used the format first name, then last name. But, from this chapter on, I will be using the Japanese format of surname before given name. So, Yuki Satou is now Satou Yuki. Just thought I'd clear that up, because I didn't want to re-upload the first two chapters. Also, this is my first fanfiction, so forgive me if I make any mistakes. **

Chapter 3

"Tiebreak!" the scorekeeper called.

A few minutes went by, both players entirely concentrated in the match.

"Set won by Fuji, 7 games to 5!", said the scorekeeper, and quite a few loud cheers erupted from the courts with the non-regulars. "I won't lose next time, senpai." Kaidoh said, a _fsshh_ proving his determination. "I look forward to it," Fuji said with a smile, and walked over to the field, where the new members were practicing swings.

"Maybe we'll have even more interesting players this year, hm?" Fuji stated, noticing that Inui was standing next to him, also observing the mostly freshman new members.

"There is actually quite a low probability about that. Similar to last year, most of our players only join because we're a top-seeded school. Many other schools would be facing the same situation. " Inui remarked. "Although last year Momoshiro and Kaidoh made an excellent addition to our team. It would be pleasant if we could gain a few more members this year."

(Meanwhile, in the courts, where Yuki was watching the regulars play)

Yuki sweat dropped. Horio had pretty much demanded that she play a match with him. This was a bit of a predicament. The one thing Yuki had kept repeating to herself since she first attended the Seigaku tennis club was "**I will not draw attention to myself**". She had reminded herself countless times, as if she became the center of attention, she would undoubtedly mess up somehow and reveal herself as a female.

However, if she played a match against someone she could by far assume _weaker _than her, and won too easily, she would probably ending up catching unwanted attention, perhaps even from a regular. She only wanted to show her skills at the inter-school ranking tournament, however, Horio apparently didn't take "no" for an answer.

"I'm really not even worth playing against! And besides, we're only supposed to be practicing swings!" Yuki protested weakly.

"Most of the freshmen aren't even practicing. This is a tennis club, why don't we play a match? And, I'm only choosing you because I can guess how bad you are at tennis." Horio bragged. _Well, one match wouldn't hurt. I'll just think of a way to handicap myself_, Yuki thought. "Fine then, but not a set. Only 3 games, and then you can stop asking me to play." She said, giving in.

They walked to an empty court, but suddenly bumped into Momoshiro himself. "Ah! Senpai, it's only you…" Horio said, obviously frightened that the Captain might have caught them abandoning practice.

"Oh, a new member! I'm Momoshiro Takeshi, but feel free to call me Momo-chan!" Momo exclaimed. "I'm Horio Satoshi, and this is…" Horio seemed eager to introduce myself as well, so I allowed him to.

"And this is Satou Yuki. We're both freshmen and new members, but I have 2 whole years of tennis experience!" Horio stated proudly. Yuki nodded slightly to acknowledge him.

"Nice to meet you two! Anyway, I'm about to play here, but I guess I'll let you guys play instead if you play an interesting game. Hey, I'll even be the scorekeeper!" Momo suggested.

"Thanks, Momo-chan-senpai!" Horio said, and dragged Yuki to the courts.

"Look, Satou, I don't expect you to play well or anything, but at least play long enough so that I can show Momo-senpai my 2 years of tennis experience." Horio whispered coldly.

"Uh, y-yes…" Yuki replied, unsure of whether to be angry that he had just insulted her, or happy that she wouldn't be standing out. She hesitantly chose the latter. After deciding that Horio would serve first, they each walked over their side of the court and Momo started the game.

_I've got to think of a handicap quickly. Should I play with an eye closed? No, too noticeable. Maybe I should hop instead of run? But, that would look ridiculous. Oh no, Horio is about to serve! _Yuki thought in a panicked tone.

The serve went to her backhand side. Unsure of whether or not to return it, she quickly chose to pretend to miss so that she would have more time to think. Actually, she wasn't pretending. She had actually missed, since she hadn't even bothered to go for the ball, and her mind was occupied.

"Hey, Satou! At least TRY to return the ball!" Horio yelled. Yuki flinched, and then the idea came to her.

She would play with her other hand.

Using her left hand wasn't something she was completely new to. Once she fell down the stairs and twisted her right arm, and she had to do everything left-handed for the next few weeks. However, at the time, she had not even considered playing tennis while her dominant hand was injured. Therefore, playing tennis with her left hand was completely new to her. It was the perfect handicap. And, it couldn't be that hard, right?

Horio tossed the tennis ball into the air, as Yuki quickly switched to her left hand. The serve went to her previously backhand side again. But now she returned it with a forehand stroke. Her control was terrible, but she managed to score a point. _Great! Actually, this is perfect. If I train my left hand to play tennis as well, I'll be able to give my right hand a break if I over-use it! _Yuki thought optimistically. She glanced up to see Horio with a shocked expression on his face.

"Must be beginner's luck!" Yuki quickly explained, and Horio seemed to accept it.

_Alright, now to think. We're playing 3 games. It isn't possible to get a tie, but if I win one game and lose a game, and then go into deuce and lose in the last one, it should be balanced. I wouldn't be complimented, but Horio would have to acknowledge me. I'm fine with that_, Yuki decided.

The game proceeded how she wanted it to. However, she accidently won 3 points because of little mistakes that Horio made, including failing to hit the ball, and making a serving error. Yuki had to purposely lose 3 points to balance it out again, and you could tell that Momoshiro was becoming curious as to the expression on his face. In the end, though, she accidently won because Horio didn't serve correctly 4 times in a row. You could tell that both were slightly disappointed, even though one was the winner. And Momoshiro finally decided to prove that something was wrong with the match.

"That was a good game, for freshmen! Maybe you'll be regulars if you keep improving!" Momo stated, trying to be careful with his words. He waited for Horio to leave, but grabbed Yuki by the arm before she could leave.

"Actually, that game looked kind of odd to me. Every time you scored a point, you let Horio score a point after. I could tell that you were disappointed when you won because of Horio's bad serves as well. So, Satou, let's play a match!" Momoshiro challenged with a smile. Yuki, however, did accept the challenge. She hurriedly pulled her arm away, gave Momo an apologetic smile along with a quick but plausible excuse and rushed off, heading towards the washrooms to change.

_I didn't want to be so rude, but I panicked… I had better start pretending more realistically, if another regular happens to ask for a game, I may not be able to reject this time. _

**A/N Well, that was the end of this chapter. I think this is the longest one so far. I will also be updating more often now. Hopefully. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N **

**Two chapters in one day, I think I'm getting faster! I do not own Prince of Tennis, but Takeshi Konomi does. At the part with her tennis clothes, I didn't really know what to make her wear. I first tried what the freshman trio wore (without Horio's shirt), but it didn't seem to fit. And, Ryoma wore whatever he wanted when he joined. So I made her wear the first thing that came into my mind. Think of the Seigaku shirt and shorts without the logo.**

**I do NOT own Prince of Tennis. Takeshi Konomi does.**

Chapter 4

It was the same question every time.

Every single time.

Yuki paced outside the washrooms. She was completely lost as to which door to go into. She went in as a girl, but came out as a boy. Sighing, she decided to go into the boy's washroom. She quickly tucked her long hair inside her shirt, ducked down, and dashed into one of the stalls. Luckily, there was only one person there, and he didn't even notice her rush inside the washroom.

She closed the stall door, and starting the procedure of making herself look like a male. First she grabbed her tennis clothes, a blue shirt and a pair of white shorts, while recapping the day so far.

That morning, she had told Kazu all about the adventure of her first day as a boy. He congratulated her, and gave her a few tips on what to do if someone asked for a match again.

The memory brought a smile to her face. Then she recalled the fact that in a few minutes, she would have to go out there as a boy, and the smile quickly vanished.

After changing, she tied up her hair and put on the wig. _ I'm getting better at this, aren't I?_ Yuki thought with dismay. Then she checked her appearance a few times in the mirror, and rushed out of the washroom before she saw any familiar faces.

….

It was here. The captain had announced it loudly, and all the regulars had looks of excitement on their faces.

The interschool-ranking tournament was about to begin.

Normally freshmen weren't allowed to participate, but Yuki knew the tennis coach of Seigaku quite well. Coach Ryuzaki Sumire was a good friend of Yuki's family, and was aware of the fact that Yuki was a girl. In fact, she was the only person who Yuki could go to in times of distress. Coach Ryuzaki also knew of Yuki's potential as a tennis player. And when she was asked why she allowed a freshman into the tournament, she simply put a smile on her face and said, "You'll see."

The entire school was welcome to watch the interschool-ranking tournament, and this time, many students came. There was a formidable crowd of students around the tennis courts. All the members participating were gathered in the meeting room so that they could be explained how it worked. There were 4 blocks, and 2 regulars in each block. The top 2 players of each block would become regulars. It was simple enough, Yuki decided. Each member had a chance to look at the block they were in, and who they were facing. _I'm in Block C_, Yuki thought, _and the regulars I'll be facing are…Fuji and Inui? Great, the most difficult two. _Yuki sighed. This was going to be a long day.

…

**Yuki's P.O.V. **

"I can't believe you're the only freshman who was allowed to participate! I mean, I have 2 ENTIRE years of tennis experience, but-"

"I know, I'm not that sure of it myself."

"Then WHY didn't they let me participate as well-"

"Ask her yourself, I have no idea." I grumbled as I made my way over to the first match. I was clearly annoyed, yet I knew it would be a good decision to keep Horio as an acquaintance. I wanted to refrain from talking as much as possible, so that I didn't have to worry about the tone of my voice, but I seemed to have given up on that with the freshman trio. They seemed to not suspect a thing, despite how many times I had messed up and used my normal voice.

I entered the court of the first match I was to play. My opponent was an average junior, and considering how he gripped his racket tightly, I assumed he was quite nervous. I casually walked to my place on the court, and let the umpire start the game. It was my opponent's serve. I watched closely as he tossed the ball up, and tried to anticipate the type of serve by the way his racket moved. I didn't make a correct prediction, but my opponent served normally, so there was no need for that. In fact, my opponent didn't try a single lob, drop shot, or smash, and seemed to simply want to rally, and then win by luck. I, on the other hand, was very aggressive with my play, and decided to end it quickly. Very quickly. I ended up finishing my match in 10 minutes, and then mentally smacked myself for drawing attention to myself. But, I really couldn't help myself, and finished all the other games with non-regulars in 10 minutes or less.

I hated myself for showing off like that, but I had reasoned that they were weak opponents anyway, and that anyone in the tennis club could have beaten them just as easily.

Apparently not.

According to Kachiro and Katsuo, one of the 3rd years I had faced was Arai, and he was next in line for becoming a regular, and was often placed in charge of the club while the team was away at tournaments.

I repeatedly hit my head against the wall for being so ignorant, and not even bothering to remember or ask about my opponents' names. Well, there's no use crying over spilt milk.

I walked over to the desk and reported my victory yet again to the person keeping track of the wins and losses. The desk was right next to the board displaying all the matches, so I decided to take a look at my next opponent instead of blindly showing up for matches like I had done so far.

My next match was against a regular.

**A/N This one's pretty short. I decided to change the matches. In the anime, Ryoma plays against Kaidoh and Inui, but I replaced Kaidoh with Fuji, since I thought it would be more appropriate for the later chapters. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N **

**I do NOT own Prince of Tennis. And I never will. Prince of tennis belongs to Takeshi Konomi.**

**Keep in mind that none of the regulars know that Yuki is a girl. Therefore, whenever **_**I**_** refer to her, I'll refer to her as "she", but when a character from the story refers to her, they'll say "he". When Fuji says "He's pretty good", he's talking about Yuki.**

Chapter 5

Yuki felt butterflies in her stomach as she stepped into the court. Her opponent, Fuji Shūsuke, stood on the opposite side of the court, and spectators surrounded them. Even a few regulars had finished their game quickly in order to watch. Word had been spread quickly about Yuki's wins 6-0 so far.

Fuji wasn't nervous at all. In fact, he was _excited _to play this supposed prodigy. But, he could tell that this game probably wasn't going to make him play serious. Fuji could see the sweat at his opponent's forehead. He slightly wanted to apologize for all the pressuring, but decided against it as the match started.

Yuki was, in a way, nervous. But in a different way. She was terribly frightened that she might accidently mess up and make her gender known. All her opponents so far had been weak, and therefore she hadn't needed to actually _try_. But, against the tensai of Seigaku, she definitely needed to try if she wanted to win.

The umpire called Yuki's serve, and the match begun. Yuki hesitantly decided to simply give it her all, and hope that her identity wasn't known. She served a strong, simple shot to start, and to see her opponent's playing style.

Smiling, Fuji returned the serve with ease, and an enthusiastic rally broke out between the two of them.

"It looks like they're having so much fun-nya!" Kikumaru exclaimed.

"Indeed. Neither of them are pushing their limits, but it's serious enough that they have to stay focused on the game." Inui observed.

_He's pretty good. Usually my opponent is tired by now. We seem to be evenly matched in stamina_, Fuji thought. Every now and then, one of the players would hit the ball where the other could not reach it, and win a point. Right now the score was 3 games to 4, in Yuki's favor.

Suddenly, both players had the same thought.

"_If I keep playing like this, it wouldn't be a serious match, and I would probably regret it later. We're in the middle of the game, so either of us could win. I need to start playing my hardest."_

And they did.

Yuki advanced to the net, and Fuji hit a lob, knowing that he (she) would return it with a smash. And, it proceeded exactly how he expected. Yuki smashed the ball; not knowing that one of his Triple Counters was used precisely against smashes.

Smiling, Fuji used Higuma Otoshi to return the smash, and Yuki looked shocked as the tennis ball soared above her head and bounced just before the baseline.

_What was that? I think he just used the power of the ball against it, and aimed it to bounce just before it was out_, Yuki thought, impressed,_ I know how to counter it, though. I'm certainly fast enough. I just run to the baseline before the ball bounces, and hit a cross-court shot. It would work!_

Fuji noticed the determined look on his opponent's face, and it made him happy to play an opponent this eager. It reminded him of how all the regulars were when they were younger. Playing tennis simply _because it's fun._

It was Yuki's serve again.

**Yuki's P.O.V.**

I was determined to use THAT serve. The one that I was admired for. The Twist Serve. Before I simply wanted to test Fuji-senpai's skills. After that we were repeatedly rallying, and it wouldn't made sense to hit a service ace. But, I think I can hit it now.

I tossed the ball high into the air, and hit the serve I was most familiar with. I could see the surprise on Fuji's face as I shot a service ace. It made me grin, and I shot 2 more Twist Serves before Fuji-senpai was able to return it. But he returned it as a lob. He probably hadn't of realized it, but it set me up for his next move. I smashed the ball, and he used Higuma Otoshi. I quickly recalled my earlier thoughts on how to counter the shot, and tried my best to put it in action. I ran as fast as I could to the baseline, and ended up getting there a few seconds early, giving me time to make a fast and strong return.

The students watching cheered loudly, as I was able to break Higuma Otoshi after seeing it only once before. I was quite proud myself. Until I realized that a few strands of hair were sticking out of my wig. I panicked, and when the umpire called "change court", I used my towel as a disguise to help me put my wig back on properly.

It took a few minutes for it to sink in. The dangerous situation I had just been in.

**Back to normal P.O.V.**

Yuki realized her own stupidity. If she was found out, her life at Seigaku would be ruined, and if the word got out to other teams as well, she would have to live the rest of her life in regret. Even if she lost this game, as long as she kept her identity a secret, she would still have a chance to live on normally. Making sure she wasn't found out took precedence over winning.

Didn't it?

She had almost lost her fake identity. She could see her best friend as one of the spectators. If she found out that Yuki was pretending to be a boy, they would probably never be as close again.

Just so that she could win a lousy game of tennis. The thought made her want to scream, but she kept it in.

_It's true. Keeping my identity is more important than this match. I don't care if I lose, but I have to make it through this match without exposing myself!_ Yuki decided.

They were now in tiebreak.

**Fuji's P.O.V**

_It was a nice surprise to see that Satou could return my Higuma Otoshi. But... after that. I was certain that I saw something strange about his hair. There were a few strands poking out, strands that were much longer than the rest of his hair. I know they weren't there before. And, for some reason, when we returned to the court, the long strands were gone._

_Actually, something has been disturbing me from the moment I saw him. He's oddly feminine. And his speech as well… it's as if he's making an effort to change the tone of his voice. That's not all. There are quite a few things._

_That Satou. He has ear holes, but I'm never seen him with earrings. Regular studs would be fine to wear to tennis, so there isn't any point in taking them off. His feet are small, and he has absolutely no muscles. Although I can dismiss that saying that he doesn't exercise often. I also wonder why he was allowed to participate in the ranking tournament. He certainly has the skills to, but not even Tezuka was allowed to participate when he was a freshman. _

_Something's strange. He seems…demotivated. What happened to all that enthusiasm? He's on the defensive now, and I can imagine him struggling on the inside. When I hit a Higuma Otoshi, he isn't making a move to return it like before. _

There's no point in playing a match like this. I'll finish this as soon as I can.

**Back to normal P.O.V**

"Fuji is serious, although his opponent isn't. It's useless now, there's no way for his opponent to win." Kawamura stated, slightly disappointed. "It would have been such a great match, I wonder why his opponent suddenly went on the defensive."

"Actually, it mystifies me as well. His opponent surprisingly had a moderately sized percentage of winning. If he had continued to play, he could have essentially won against Fuji." Inui added.

"I wonder what happened to his opponent-nya!" Kikumaru wondered out loud.

"2-6! Fuji to serve." the umpire called.

_I'll hit a service ace. He wouldn't be able to return it the first time, and he won't get a chance to find a way to, since then I'll win_, Fuji thought.

He hit his Invisible Serve.

"Game and match won by Fuji Shūsuke, 6 games to 7." The umpire called, and the match was finished. Yuki had lost.

Both players walked forward to shake hands at the net.

"Um, it was a good game, and I look forward to playing you again?" Yuki tried to say in a male voice. It was obviously scripted, as he cared more about the tone of his voice than the words.

Fuji shot her one last smile before opening his sharp blue eyes. His smile disappeared.

"I'm disappointed in you, Satou. I wanted us to play to our full extents. You were holding back throughout the entire game, I could tell. Become a regular, and we'll play again, to our full extent this time. " Fuji said. The he closed his eyes once more and left the court to report the score.

Satou Yuki stood on the court shocked. She was absolutely speechless. Seigaku's tensai, the one she had come to respect so much. He had just disapproved of their match. Sure, he had complimented her in a way by saying he was sure she'd become a regular, but the first part of his words echoed much louder in her brain.

She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. Yuki ran out of the court, and went to the washrooms to change so that she could distract herself from the words that had been spoken.

**A/N Woah! Longest chapter so far. And, 3****rd**** update today! Also, Yuki is still able to become a regular if she defeats her next opponent. In the anime, Kaidoh still became a regular even though he lost to Ryoma. I'll be posting the next chapter soon as well.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N **

**I decided to have a little bit of information on Yuki in this chapter. You can skip it if you want; it's not necessary to the plot.**

**Takeshi Konomi owns Prince of Tennis. Not me. (I can't believe I have to say this every chapter…-_-)**

Chapter 6

Yuki sighed, her head rested on her pillow. What had she done wrong?

Suddenly, it struck her.

**(Flashback)**

**Yuki realized her own stupidity. If she was found out, her life at Seigaku would be ruined, and if the word got out to other teams as well, she would have to live the rest of her life in regret. Even if she lost this game, as long as she kept her identity a secret, she would still have a chance to live on normally. Making sure she wasn't found out took precedence over winning.**

**She had almost lost her fake identity. She could see her best friend as one of the spectators. If she found out that Yuki was pretending to be a boy, they would probably never be as close again.**

_**It's true. Keeping my identity is more important than this match. I don't care if I lose, but I have to make it through this match without exposing myself!**_**Yuki decided.**

**(Flashback end)**

Perhaps it was that? She had decided that she didn't care if she lost? Since when did tennis become so difficult?

_That's just it. Tennis is supposed to be fun. I only joined the tennis club so that I could enjoy myself_, Yuki thought.

She closed her eyes, and remembered the day she first started playing tennis, while trying to fall asleep.

(Inside Yuki's dream)

"Yes, I win!" a random voice said.

"No fair! You cheated…" the other voice replied.

"I don't cheat in tennis. Just challenge me again when you improve!"

"Of course. We'll play again in 3 days, and by then I'll be better than you!"

"Kazu, what's tennis?" a 7-year-old Yuki asked.

They had just left their house to go to the nearest library to return books. On the way, however, they passed tennis courts, and very loud people seemed to be playing in them.

"It's a sport… where 2 players hit a tennis ball over a net with rackets." Kazu explained, "Actually, the library is next to a tennis class, would you like to watch them for a while?"

"We can? Great!" Yuki smiled, and waited for Kazu to return the books with anticipation.

…

"Alright, I'm done, but are you sure you don't want to borrow any books?" Kazu asked.

"I'm done! Let's just hurry and go to the tennis class." Yuki whined. Kazu smiled, and together they walked over to the outdoor courts, where a small tournament was taking place.

"30-15!" the umpire called.

Yuki's eyes were full of amazement. She was watching an amazing match between 2 great players. They were both smiling, and….

It looked like so much fun.

After that, Yuki had learned tennis by herself, and attended her first tournament at the age of 8. It was a city-wide tournament that was in the USA, where they lived. She had won the tournament on her first try, and then gone on to larger ones. She had stopped at the state-wide tournament, and moved to Japan along with her family, and already had big plans when she got there.

But the one thing she would never forget was the first tennis match she saw. It was her dream to be able to play that well, and have so much fun while at it.

Of course, she had no idea that the 2 players she saw that day were Fuji and Tezuka in their freshman year, taking a vacation to USA.

Besides, how could she?

…

"RING RING RING RING!" her alarm clock screamed as it forced her to awaken and stop the dreadful ringing. It was successful, as always.

Yuki tiredly opened her eyes, yawned, and turned off the alarm clock. Today was her next match in the ranking tournament, so she couldn't stay at home and pretend to be sick.

"I'm leaving now!" Yuki called as she munched on a piece of toast and grabbed her shoes. This was going to be the 2nd time she was late, and it hadn't even been a month since school started.

"Have a nice day! Wait! You forgot your-" The door closed before her mother could finish. "Oh, that's unfortunate. She forgot her lunch, but she already left. Kazu, there's no school today for you, right? Could you drop this off at Seishun Gakuen?"

"Hm, sure. I'd usually say no, but I actually want to see how Yuki's doing at being a guy. And I want to see if she's any good at tennis." Kazu grinned, his ulterior motive already known.

…

Yuki cringed as she barely made it on time. Her best friend, Ryuzaki Sakuno, accompanied her while they stopped to catch their breath. "I'm sorry, I'm not a fast runner…." Sakuno apologized.

_Well, compared to normal girls, she's quite fast. I'm a tennis player after all, so I __**need**__ to be quick_, Yuki thought. But "It's okay, we made it on time!" was what she said.

They entered the classroom of their first class, and Yuki sweatdropped. She hadn't noticed it before, but the freshman trio were in her class! She quickly hid under a desk, but then remembered that she was a girl now.

So, she wouldn't be found out, right?

"U"Hey, I don't think I've seen you before. My name's Horio Satoshi, and I have 2 years of tennis experience! So, who are you?" Horio asked, as if on cue.

Yuki could've slammed her head against a wall repeatedly.

Why, oh WHY hadn't she changed her FULL NAME as a male? If she replied with "Yuki", and Horio looked really closely at her, he would be able to see that she was Satou Yuki as well. Well, she couldn't lie either, Sakuno was right next to her.

"Um, my name is Yuki Asahino, nice to meet you." Yuki said in the girliest voice she could manage. She prayed that Horio wouldn't bother to think further. She was wrong.

"That's strange, on a closer look, you look exactly like someone from the tennis club named Satou Yuki. Of course, I'm better than him, because I have 2 years of tennis experience."

Yuki gulped. It was over.

"Oh, I know. You're Satou's cousin or something, right? That explains why you look like him!" Kachiro exclaimed.

_Huh?_, Yuki thought, _I'm still safe?_

"Uhh, YES! Yes I am! I am the cousin of Yuki Satou." Yuki replied nervously. Well, it sort of made sense. She could have a cousin, right?

"I knew it!" Katsuo bragged.

"Hey, I was sure of it before both of you-"

Yuki quickly sat down at her desk before Horio could finish.

…..

School was over rather quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to go to the tennis courts to play her match against Inui Sadaharu.

Yuki quickly changed into a male, grabbed her racket and walked to the courts.

"Hey, I've wondered for a while now, but when you played me you used your left hand, but when you played against Fuji-senpai you used your right hand? Are you a lefty or a righty?" Horio questioned curiously.

"W-Well…. I'm a righty, but-"

"I knew it! So you were HOLDING back against me?" Horio looked shocked.

"No, it was because I hurt my right hand-"

"But your match with Fuji-senpai was the next day!"

"Um, it healed suddenly!" Yuki quickly finished. She didn't want Horio to question her at all, or to know that she was holding back during that match. That would be a disaster.

"Anyway, you probably will never be able to win against Inui-senpai. You might have been lucky with Fuji-senpai, but even then you lost. There's no chance." Horio said, slightly annoyed since he found out that she was holding back with him.

"Don't mind Horio, do your best!" Kachiro exclaimed.

"I agree!" Katsuo responded.

It was nice to know that there were _some _nice people out there.

Coach Ryuzaki announced the matches that day, and then it started.

Yuki gulped as she stepped onto the court.

**A/N I decided on a bit of a cliffhanger this time. As you can see (if you read this chapter), Yuki isn't EXACTLY like Ryoma, but some details were kept. For example, they both lived in U.S. when they were younger, although Ryoma had a famous father. Both Yuki and Ryoma both use the Twist Serve, etc.**

**I think this is one of the longest chapters so far? Wow, they just keep getting longer…**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Here's the next chapter! **

**About this chapter, remember that this is before Inui improves himself, so he isn't fast or strong like in the Nationals. **

**I do not, and will never, own Prince of Tennis. Prince of Tennis belongs to Takeshi Konomi. **

Chapter 7

"Oh no, I'm late! It's way past lunch now…" Kazu sighed, "Well, I can see if she wants to eat it anyway."

Kazu walked toward Seigaku with a bento in his hands, meant for Yuki. He was supposed to deliver it much earlier, but couldn't because of delays and errands. School was already over, but he expected her to be there because of the tennis club.

It took a while to walk there, but he arrived at Seishun Gakuen. Then he realized something.

"I have no idea where the tennis courts are…."

Kazu sighed. This just wasn't his day.

"Can I help you? You look lost." Fuji said, appearing out of nowhere. Kazu yelped, slightly startled, but then calmed down.

"Can you tell me where the tennis courts are? I need to deliver something…" Kazu asked, and gestured toward the lunch in his hands.

"It's behind the school, it should be easily visible when you get close. Keep walking and turn left. You'll see it." Fuji directed.

Kazu thanked him, and rushed off.

Fuji smile, glad to be able to help. Then his blue eyes opened, and he became serious.

_I would like to know a bit more about this student, Satou Yuki. I'll just ask for his class, and then talk to some of the teachers about his personality_, Fuji decided.

He wandered to the office.

"Excuse me, I would like to know the teacher of the student Satou Yuki-"

"Sure, just give me a moment." The secretary replied, cutting him off.

A few minutes ticked by.

"Perhaps you were mistaken? There is no student under the name of Satou Yuki in the entire school. Are you certain this student goes to Seishun Gakuen?" the secretary asked, puzzled.

"I'm quite sure, as he attends the tennis club." Fuji replied, just as confused as the secretary.

"Well, go ahead over to the library then. We have a record of every student in the school, you might have mistaken the name." the secretary replied, and resumed her work.

"Thank you, I'll go check there now." Fuji said quickly, and rushed over to the library.

_I was sure the name on the board said "Satou Yuki", so there was no mistake in the name. But, not a part of the student database? That's mysterious_, Fuji thought.

When he arrived at the library, he kindly asked the teacher there for the book of all the students, and she gladly handed it over to him. Fuji smiled, pleased with himself.

He stayed in the same position, carefully looking through the book for several minutes.

_There isn't a single student in the entire history of Seishun Gakuen with the name of Satou Yuki_, Fuji thought, mystified, _what does this mean?_

He reviewed every page, until his eyes fell upon one student in particular.

They had the same given name. They had the same hair and eye colour. They were both freshmen, and Fuji could see that the height matched.

The student was Asahino Yuki.

…

"Wow, that freshman is doing very well against Inui-nya!" Kikumaru remarked.

The match had begun a while ago and, surprisingly, it wasn't much of a match. Yuki operated on the one fact that "Even if you know what I'm about to do, there's nothing you can do to counter it." It was that simple. She couldn't win in strength, but she was actually a very fast runner. All she had to do was aim in places that Inui was to slow to reach. Sure, using clues you can catch the culprit, but if there's nothing you can do to stop or arrest him, it's pointless.

Yuki had to admit though; Inui's data was amazing. He predicted her next shot before she did. And he had gained all that data only by the matches she had played so far against Fuji and the non-regulars.

It took her 3 whole games to realize that weakness, and she had to push the limits of her legs to stay a step ahead of him the whole game. Worse, her head was pounding due to the headache she had acquired by over-using her legs. And, she hadn't eaten lunch because she forgot it at home.

But, despite all that, Yuki was actually able to make a comeback, and won 5 games. It was currently Yuki's serve, and the score was 30-15.

_I'll use my Twist Serve! It keeps the logic that I've used so far_, Yuki decided.

After the match with Fuji, she had gone home and thought about it for a long time. During their match, she had only cared about keeping her identity. But, tennis was the only reason she made a fake identity in the first place. She could deal with the consequences.

After her dream about the first tennis match she saw, it made her remember something.

_Tennis is fun._

After all, she wouldn't be playing it if it weren't fun.

That thought made her understand Fuji's disappointment. Why would anyone want to play against an opponent who practically _wants _to lose?

Certainly not Fuji. Or even Yuki for that matter.

For the rest of the night, Yuki felt incredibly guilty. She had also decided to play a match with him again as soon as possible. But this time away from a crowd, so that it'd be easy to conceal herself if she made a mistake.

But, at the moment, the match against Inui took precedence. Sure, Yuki had refrained from speaking as much as possible, and tried to communicate through tennis, and expressions. Surprisingly, it had worked, and Inui jotted down on his notebook that Satou was "shy and quiet, but still expressive through other forms of communication". But in this match Yuki tried her absolute best, and it produced a positive result.

Quite a positive one indeed.

"Set won by Satou Yuki, 6 games to 3!"

**A/N Another chapter finished! I think I'll be able to add at least one chapter a day from now on. One of the reasons Satou won was because he doesn't have any records. Satou Yuki was simply a name made up on the spot. And, as Inui plays "data tennis", he didn't have much to go on, since there was no need to play to your full extent against easy players, and Yuki gave up halfway against Fuji. Also, the phrase **"Even if you know what I'm about to do, there's nothing you can do to counter it." **is something similar to the way Ryoma won. **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N **

**The next chapter is finally done XD Sorry if I took a while and didn't update the next day, like I said last chapter. Today was the first week of school, so life was busy. **

**Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi. Not me. Never me. **

Chapter 8

"I can't believe that you actually became a regular!" Horio scoffed, while Yuki tried on her new regular's jacket. It was blue and white, with Seigaku stitched on the back, and her last name, "Satou", stitched on the side. She had to admit, it looked pretty awesome, and she felt proud wearing it.

"Congratulations, Satou-kun!" Kachiro and Katsuo chorused, and Yuki shyly smiled at them.

"Alright, regulars meet in court 1! Freshmen will be picking up balls, and juniors and seniors will be feeding and smashing balls!" Tezuka directed. Everyone left to start practicing, and Yuki gave the freshman trio a nervous smile before heading to the courts.

"I heard we have a new regular, nya!" Kikumaru exclaimed, excited already. "Isn't he the one who lost to Fujiko?"

"Yes, but he's also the one who won against Inui. We've probably got a player with potential this year!" Kawamura remarked. He glanced at Fuji who, surprisingly, wasn't smiling. His blue eyes were open, and his face displayed a neutral expression, as if he were deep in thought. Careful not to disturb him, Kawamura tried to continue the conversation with Momo. Momo, on the other hand, had also noticed Fuji, and hadn't chosen to keep quiet.

"Fuji-senpai, what's up? You seem to be deep in thought!" Momo questioned. Fuji quickly glanced up, as if woken up from a daze. He put on his regular smile again, and quickly recalled the earlier events before the new regular arrived.

**A few hours ago…**

"Did you find what you were looking for?" the librarian asked with a smile. "Yes, I did. Thank you for your help." Fuji replied quickly, and returned to the book to skim the page one last time before he left.

He stared at the student "Asahino Yuki". They were alike in every way, except for gender and small appearance differences. He considered that they were cousins, but it stated in the personal details section that she only had an older brother, and both of her cousins were under 5.

It was mysterious.

So, Fuji decided to research this new student, "Asahino Yuki". He googled it quickly, and was surprised to find that she was a tennis player.

A very good tennis player.

She had won the primary championships when she was 8 years old, and was known throughout the American tennis world as a prodigy. Dozens of results showed up, displaying interviews, articles, and games by this apparent tensai.

Then he searched "Satou Yuki", and there was nothing.

Fuji then developed the hypothesis that Satou was a girl. And that "Satou" wasn't even her real name. It made perfect sense, it explained the long strands of hair, and why Satou had stopped playing seriously halfway through the game. She was worried, that the long strands would show up again, and chose the safe side.

It made sense. But Fuji wasn't the type to go on hypothesizes alone. So he decided that at the next tennis club practice, he'd observe Satou carefully.

* * *

><p>Yuki slowly walked through the doors of the tennis courts, and joined the other regulars for a quick evaluation and meeting. She straightened her back, made sure that all her hair was tucked safely inside her wig, and assured herself that she wouldn't be revealed as a female.<p>

"Nice to meet you, nya! My name is Kikumaru Eiji!"

"Welcome to the regulars. I'm Oishi Shuichiro, and feel free to talk to me if you don't understand anything."

"Yo! I'm Momoshiro Takeshi, although we've already met!"

"I'm a junior, Kaidoh Kaoru, fshhhh."

"I'M KAWAMURA TAKASHI, AND I'M BURNING, BABY!"

"I am the team captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu. Do not let your guard down."

"And I'm Fuji Syuusuke. We've played a match before."

Yuki shuffled nervously, trying her best to remain calm and smile at each regular.

"I'm a freshman, and my name is Satou Yuki. I look forward to working with you." Yuki managed to say. Then he gave herself a round of applause in her head, since she actually managed to make a plausible male-sounding voice.

Fuji looked at him closely. As he thought, Satou was feminine. There were tiny hints that wouldn't have been noticed unless you looked closely, but they were there. Fuji reminded himself to casually ask her/him later.

"We'll start with practice matches, then. Kawamura vs Kaidoh. Momoshiro vs Fuji. Satou vs Kikumaru. And Oishi will play against me. Understood?" Tezuka explained.

There were a few "Yes, Tezuka"s and a few "Hai, buchou!"s before everyone rushed off to start their games.

Each pair chose a 3rd year non-regular to keep score during their match. Satou looked nervously at Kikumaru, having not known which students were able to judge matches, and Kikumaru quickly chose Arai to be the umpire and dragged Satou to the court.

"I can't believe I'm keeping score of _this _match…" Arai complained.

Meanwhile, both players shook hands and decided who would go first.

"Up."

"Down, nya!"

It landed with the handle down. Kikumaru grinned and gave a peace sign before deciding that he would let Satou serve.

"You can serve, ochibi!" Kikumaru said enthusiastically.

_Ochibi? Well… I guess I __**am **__two years younger, and quite a bit shorter than Kikumaru-senpai_, Yuki thought, sweat dropping.

"Um, alright…" Yuki said hesitantly. She quickly chose a side of the court, and the game began.

_Should I start with the Twist Serve? Or maybe… I've never seen Kikumaru-senpai play before, so I should analyze him before showing him my own techniques. So… for now I'll use the same handicap that I used against Horio. I'll use my left hand._

Yuki switched hands and served normally.

* * *

><p>Yuki was shocked at how well he played. He wasn't a balanced player, and she could tell that he was running out of stamina. But, his enthusiasm made her feel excited herself, and Kikumaru's acrobatics were showy, but admirable. He had a smile stuck on his face for the entire match, and every ball he hit was a new and fun return. When the students around the court started chanting his name lightly, he raised up taller, as if he liked the spotlight rather than being pressured by it.<p>

She had never seen anyone like this before. All of the opponents Yuki had faced so far were serious, determined, and strong. Kikumaru played tennis for the _fun _of it. You could tell how much he enjoyed the sport every time he scored a point.

She grimaced as a tennis ball flew just slightly out of her reach, and she missed.

"Zannen muunen, mataraishuu!" Kikumaru exclaimed as he twirled his racket to prove his point.

"Game won by Kikumaru Eiji, 6 games to 3."

Yuki was, in short, amazed. Then a light bulb flashed in her head.

_He's my idol, isn't he? That fun way of playing tennis._

Then she realized another thing.

_So is Fuji-senpai. His techniques are beautiful. If these two played doubles together, they would be perfect._

_But, wait. I see why they aren't paired, even though they should be. I can tell that Fuji-senpai is slightly weak, except for smashes. And, so is Kikumaru. Against a power player, they wouldn't stand a chance. But, they would still make a formidable pair_, Yuki reasoned.

She watched as Kikumaru jogged over to the other regulars and cheered his victory. Then he glomped Momoshiro, and grinned at Oishi to tell him that he'd improved. They turned to Tezuka for a moment, heard him say that practice was over, and walked to the change rooms.

Yuki felt tears rising in her eyes, standing alone in the tennis court. But she quickly pushed them away. Yuki had to be the one to make the first move, and become friends with them, if she wanted anyone to talk to her. But, every moment she spoke, there was the fear of being exposed!

She ended up mentally fighting with herself, until she was exhausted and slowed dragged herself to the boy's washroom so that she could change.

**A/N Another depressing ending… I think I'm becoming a sadist -_- Don't worry, though, I don't intend to have an OCxFuji or OCxKikumaru coming anytime soon, unless anyone wants it. I don't even intend to make it a romance fanfiction.**

**Also, I finally learned how to add in lines! I'll probably edit the previous chapters to add them in, but for now, they'll stay the same.**

**Next chapter coming soon!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I made this chapter pretty quickly- it was mostly for fun, since I'm at a pretty serious part of the plot. Still, 2 chapters in a day is the best I can do now that school's started.**

**I do not own Prince of Tennis, because Konomi Takeshi does.**

Chapter 8

The Super Happy Hot Springs Trip!

"Alright everyone, I've organized a special team bonding trip! It's very important that you all attend, because I'll be announcing the players for the upcoming tournament!" Oishi said enthusiastically.

"What is it, nya? It sounds exciting!" Kikumaru exclaimed.

"Tezuka, Ryuzaki-sensei, and myself decided that we will be going to an onsen to improve teamwork, announce the players for the next tournament, and relax. It will also be to welcome Satou to our tennis team!" Oishi revealed.

Yuki gulped.

"Well, Oishi-senpai, I'm sorry but I can't come…"

"But one of the reasons of this trip is to welcome you! And, I'm sure you must also be curious about the playing order, right?" Momo protested.

Yuki sweatdropped.

"But, even if you say that-"

"It's going to be so much fun, nya!"

"I don't think I can come-"

"There is a 62% chance that Momoshiro will get lost along the way."

"I'm serious! I can't come-"

"It'll be interesting, fshhhh."

"LISTEN TO ME!" Yuki yelled.

All eyes turned to face her. Kikumaru gave her cute puppy eyes that melted her heart, and almost made Yuki give in until she remembered the obvious problem with the hot springs.

It would be revealed that she was a girl. Sure, she could make herself LOOK like a boy, but that didn't mean she was actually one.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be attending." Yuki replied calmly. "A-hem." Ryuzaki-sensei cleared her throat.

"I think that it'll be alright." She advised.

Yuki hesitated. Ryuzaki-sensei knew that she was a girl, and she could figure out the problem with the onsen. But, if she said that it was ok…

"F-fine, I'll come…"

* * *

><p>The team had met up at Seishun Gakuen before starting for their trip. Yuki had brought a swimsuit in her backpack, just in case Ryuzaki-sensei actually <em>didn't <em>have a plan. They were a pair of swimming shorts. The problem was, she couldn't find anything that she could wear over her chest without looking weird. So, she figured that if the need ever came, she would simply face the wall. Yuki also packed a girl's 1-piece swimsuit, in case she had extra time and wanted to relax.

The bus ride was long, and incredibly loud, with Kikumaru, Momo, Kaidoh, Kawamura, and the occasional Oishi yelling the entire time. Inui was scribbling in his notebook while they talked, muttering things like "Ii data". Tezuka was glaring from beneath his glasses, probably thinking about how many laps to give them once they returned to Seigaku.

Yuki somehow managed to fall asleep, and Fuji only smiled at the sight. He had discovered Yuki's "secret" a few days ago, but Yuki had no idea. Honestly, Fuji was slightly shocked that Yuki had agreed to come along, but since Ryuzaki-sensei was the one to convince her, there had to be something planned.

After an hour, they finally arrived. Kikumaru and Momo jumped out of the bus, and ran toward the hot spring inn at full speed.

* * *

><p>"Everyone, you have 30 minutes to wander around and enjoy yourselves before we will all meet in the onsen for the meeting. Have fun!" Oishi said, and then wandered off himself.<p>

_Perfect. I can go right now, and look at some hiding places._ Yuki thought. Then she remembered that she couldn't go into the men's onsen without some kind of cover, since she couldn't play as a male when she was without clothes. Yuki sighed, and got changed. She pulled off the wig and untied her hair. Then she put on the swimsuit, and walked toward the women's onsen. Or so she thought.

There was one large opening for both the men's and the women's change rooms. Yuki gaped.

"E-excuse me, may I ask where the woman's onsen is?" Yuki asked shakily. The answer shocked her even more.

"Right here. We have a large mixed onsen. But, today a tennis team reserved it, so you can't enter without their permission." The man there replied.

_Actually, it makes sense. The mixed onsen is the largest one, and there are 9 people on the tennis team. It was very mature of Oishi to reserve it though, this was no girls will be there._

Then she remembered.

_Oh great. I'm a girl, aren't I?_

* * *

><p>"Eiji! Come here, we're going to start the meeting!" Oishi called.<p>

"Coming, nya!" Kikumaru replied.

The tennis team sat comfortably against the walls of the onsen. Well, except one, that was fidgeting nervously. But, she was relieved that Ryuzki-sensei had thought of something after all.

"Ne, Inui, what is this liquid?" Kikumaru questioned. The water that surrounded them was a dark green, instead of transparent like it should be.

"Due to the request of Ryuzaki-sensei to change the water, I decided to replace it with my new Inui Juice 2000. It's very good for the skin, and since it has plenty of vegetables, it's rich with vitamins that your bodies can absorb," Inui explained, "Think of it like modified water."

"Well, it certainly feels like a normal onsen. This is probably your best juice so far, Inui-senpai!" Momo commented. Inui's face flashed for a moment with glee, but then it disappeared.

Yuki sighed with relief. The colour of the juice/water made it so that you could not see anything past the neck. If she moved her legs now, no one would notice. She slowly swam to join the others. After all, it was safe, right?

Apparently not.

The moment Inui finished his explanation, Momo, Kaidoh, and Kikumaru started _drinking _the water. Well, it seemed perfectly fine since it's healthy, but couldn't they see that _they were bathing in that?_

They didn't hear. In fact, Kawamura started drinking as well, and Fuji and Oishi started to want to have a taste of Inui's juice, so they drank too.

In a few minutes, they were drinking so much that the water/juice level was visibly lowering, and quickly.

And there Yuki was, in the middle of the onsen with nothing to cover her. She couldn't duck down into the rapidly disappearing water/juice either.

After more drinking, they had finally consumed enough to lower the water level by about 2 feet. That was plenty enough to reveal Yuki's….chest…..

"What? Satou, are you-"

* * *

><p>"NOOOOOOOOO!" Yuki screamed, and shot up from her sleeping position. Her breaths came in fast, short pants. Then, realizing it was all a dream, she tried her best to calm herself.<p>

A few minutes after, her mother came rushing in, asking if she was all right. Yuki nodded, before running to the washroom to throw up because of her hyperventilating.

Well, one thing was for sure.

She was **never** going to the hot springs with her tennis team.

**A/N Again, this was just a side-story, that is completely irrelevant to the plot. The story will return next chapter! Which I will be able to write tomorrow, since it's Saturday.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**My prediction was wrong- I ended up leaving this fanfic for 5 days before I wrote this chapter. I guess I'll try to not make predictions anymore, except that I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

**Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi. My name isn't Konomi Takeshi, and it never will be.**

Chapter 10

"Everyone will run 20 laps now, and the person who finishes last will have to drink my special Inui juice!" Inui stated, his glasses flashing.

The regulars sweat dropped.

"Nya, Inui, what _is _that thing?" Kikumaru asked, slightly afraid of the answer he might receive. The juice changed colour between orange and green, and was bubbling.

"I don't even want to know…" Kaidoh interrupted. "3…2…1… Start running!" Tezuka ordered. The regulars rushed to start, each one trying not to be last. Kikumaru decided that he wanted to be in the top 4, and dashed to the front, reaching the first place in a few seconds.

"Hey, no fair Kikumaru-senpai!" Momo challenged, and ran even faster.

"You wish." Kaidoh ran the fastest he could go, and usurped the first place from Kikumaru.

_It's a good thing that I'm actually a fast runner. That juice doesn't look very appetizing_, Yuki thought. She slipped into 4th place, preparing to dash to the finish line as fast as possible when it came into view. The other regulars hardly noticed Yuki, since she was the shortest regular.

In a way, it made her sad that she wasn't challenging each other loudly like most of the other regulars. The thought just echoed even louder in her brain when Fuji decided to give Kawamura his racket. With a loud "BURNING!" he ran up to first place, where the other three competed for the top 4 places.

Yuki was now 5th, and although it wasn't much of a difference, it slightly depressed her considering that the regulars wouldn't recognize her as a fast runner, as she was in her previous years. Actually, she was well above average for her age and height, but she paled in comparison to the 4 players in front of her.

"I actually want to try Inui's juice. Don't you?" Fuji asked, catching up to her.

"That thing looks toxic! Even if he says it's healthy…" Yuki complained.

"Saa… it looks edible to me."

"I'm actually afraid to drink it myself." Oishi added.

"It wasn't originally intended to become a punishment, as it contains many healthy nutrients." Inui confessed. The other 2 stared at him in slight surprise, although Fuji just smiled and asked if he could have a taste later, which Inui gladly accepted.

_Great… now they've all caught up to me. I might as well be the slowest regular now. It's hard transferring from the fastest to the slowest, eh?_ Yuki thought, sighing. _Although, I do feel slower than normal today. Perhaps I'm out of practice?_

By the time they were almost done the 20 laps, Kikumaru, Momo, Kaidoh, and Kawamura were tired. That allowed the other regulars to easily catch up with them. Kikumaru's stamina ended up putting him in last place.

But, nonetheless, every regular gave it their all towards the run to the finish line.

Aaaaand, they all finished at the same time. Typical, right?

"That's unfortunate… no one has to try my juice now. Well, unless you'd _all _like to try some…-"

"NO!"

* * *

><p>"Also, I should probably mention. I put weights into your wristbands and socks. Of course, you didn't notice until you started running. Did anyone feel slower, of heavier?" Inui asked.<p>

_WHAT?! That explains it…_ Yuki sighed.

"No, I actually didn't feel anything…" Kawamura revealed.

_Of course he didn't. He's ridiculously strong himself. In girl's tennis, there aren't many power players, so I ended up being extremely weak. I can't even do a decent smash. Great… against boys, I don't really stand that much of a chance. Actually, Fuji-senpai and Inui-senpai look weaker than the others. I wonder if I could just train with them all the time…_ Yuki realized. She sighed again.

Then Yuki realized something. _Wait, what? That's impossible. There's no way Inui-senpai could have put weights in my socks and wristbands when I wasn't looking. I would have noticed if they went missing! I don't leave my clothes in the change room either! How did he do it?_

"But, Inui-senpai, that's impossible! I don't remember you putting weights there!" Momo argued.

"Of course you didn't. You were asleep as a result of my previous juice, the Inui Complex Juice 200. It erases your memory after as well."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

><p>"After discussion with Ryuzaki-sensei, we have decided the order for the Tokyo Preliminary tournament." Tezuka said. Murmurs of excitement spread through the tennis club.<p>

"Doubles 2, Kaidoh-Momoshiro. Doubles 1, Kikumaru-Oishi. Singles 3, Kawamura. Singles 2, Fuji."

Yuki gasped. They wouldn't put her in Singles 1- would they?

"Singles 1, Tezuka. Satou will be on reserve." Coach Ryuzaki finished.

Yuki's heart dropped. She was… the reserve player? This couldn't be happening. Her emotions were all jumbled up. Part of her was angry that Satou Yuki, one of the greatest tennis prodigies in America, was put on reserve. Another part of her was crying already, knowing that the other regulars hadn't acknowledged her at all, and they that they knew they were better than her. But the 3rd part of her was agreeing. After all, she _was _a new regular. Shouldn't she be on reserve so that she could learn how the tournaments worked?

For the moment, she decided to stick with the 3rd part of her.

"Don't worry! I'll sure you'll be playing in the next tournament!" Momo exclaimed with a smile. Of course. He had no idea how she felt.

"…Right! I'll become stronger by the time the next tournament comes around!" she replied with a fake grin.

"That's the spirit, ochibi!" Kikumaru added.

_Actually, if I think about it in another way, perhaps I'll only play in the important tournaments? This is only Tokyo-wide, and it's only the first match. Besides, Ryuzaki-sensei probably wanted me to get used to how official matches are held here in Japan, _Yuki reasoned. Now she could smile normally.

"Kaidoh-senpai, how about we play a match? Tezuka-buchou said that we would be playing matches now." Yuki asked politely.

Kaidoh turned to look at her. He glared, but she didn't flinch. With a slight sigh, he replied "Satou, right? Don't complain when I win."

_Ugh! I knew it; everyone thinks I'm weaker than them, _Yuki thought angrily.

"I won't. Let's start the match!" Yuki said, deciding to act soft. She couldn't wait to see the look on her senpai's face when she won instead.

* * *

><p>"Satou vs Kaidoh. 0-0. Satou to serve." The umpire called in a monotonous voice. A few students came to watch the match, but only because they were bored. Everyone knew who was going to win. Well, they <em>thought <em>they knew.

Yuki gripped the ball tightly and threw it up as hard as she could. She couldn't stand the other students underestimating her anymore. With a loud 'smack' she served the ball in a way no one had ever seen before.

_I should thank Kirihara-senpai for the Knuckle serve. He taught it to me after all_, Yuki thought with a grin. Or rather, she would have been grinning, if the serve went normally into the service box, with a little technique added.

Yuki panicked. _I can't believe I used that! Kirihara-senpai only showed it to me against a wall. He never told me what it actually did…_ Yuki thought.

The ball bounced once and hit Kaidoh forcefully in his right knee. Everyone gasped.

Kaidoh immediately fell, being surprised at the shift of his center of gravity.

"Oh no, are you alright?!" Yuki asked, jumping over the net and rushing over to Kaidoh. Blood started oozing out of a cut that the tennis ball made.

"Someone take him to the nurse!" a student called.

A few people ran over to Kaidoh. Momo and Kikumaru helped him walk to the nurse. The freshmen decided to call the janitor to clean up the blood that had stained the court. All the students were murmuring amongst themselves, staring at the cause of the incident.

A few tears dripped out of her eyes. Instead of proving her ability, she had just made it worse.

"Satou! Come to my office, now!" Ryuzaki called angrily.

* * *

><p>"You knew full well that Kaidoh is participating in the tournament. Why did you injure him?" Ryuzaki asked.<p>

"I didn't mean to! I… didn't even know what the serve did, and…" It took Yuki a few minutes to realize what she was saying. "I'm sorry for hurting Kaidoh-senpai. I won't injure anyone with tennis ever again." Yuki apologized.

She might as well take responsibility for her actions. Knowing her parents, they would never allow her to transfer schools in the middle of the year. It would be troublesome if she had tainted her record within the first month of school.

"You might be, but I can't allow you to use that serve again. I'm sorry, but you'll be the reserve player in the next round as well." Ryuzaki said. "Use the time to find another serve. And try to conceal the fact that you're a girl as much as possible. Tezuka dismissed the club, you can go back now."

"Uh, yes." And she walked out of the office.

It took a while for the words to sink in.

_What? Reserve again? I know what I did was wrong, but can't she see that I can help them win? There was no point in coming here if I wasn't going to play in tournaments! Hm, but again, it's only Tokyo-wide. I'll get to play eventually. Until then though, I should probably be guilty for my actions. After all, Kaidoh-senpai's playing in the tournament. If he's injured, then the reserve player will have to play-_

Then she understood.

_They all misunderstood. They thought I was angry and wanted to play so badly that I would hurt a player and take their place. _

* * *

><p>"He'll be fine if he rests for a week. If what you're saying is true, that he was injured by a tennis ball, then the server was pretty weak. You can still participate in the tournament." The nurse informed kindly.<p>

"Thank you for your time." Tezuka replied, and he signaled for everyone to leave Kaidoh and go home. Sighing, all the regulars walked home (except for Momo, who had his bike) and left Kaidoh to rest.

Yuki was speed walking as fast as she could. She had to clear it up with him, to tell them the truth. On the way there, she noticed the regulars coming her way.

"Hey, why'd you do that? I know you're upset about being on reserve, but that's no reason to hurt someone!" Momo complained. The rest of the regulars gave Yuki a disapproving look.

Part of her wanted to angrily tell him the truth, another part wanted to break down crying, and the last part wanted to walk away and ignore them. Yuki was tempted to listen to her 2nd part, but in the end she chose to walk away.

"I'm sorry…" she said quickly and walked off.

* * *

><p>"Kaidoh-senpai!" Yuki exclaimed, and rushed over the moment she passed the regulars in the hallway. "I'm so sorry!"<p>

"I'm fine, fshhhh." Kaidoh replied. "Although I didn't know you wanted to play in the tournament that badly. You could have just asked, you know."

_He thinks the same. That's it, I don't care if the others think I'm terrible, but at least not him!_ Yuki thought desperately.

Something inside her clicked, and she closed the door.

Yuki hid behind a curtain and undid the things that made her look like a boy. She removed the wig, took off the binding under her shirt, and spoke in her normal voice.

"My name is actually Asahino Yuki, I'm a tennis prodigy in America, I've won many competitions before, and I'm actually a girl."

**A/N I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this chapter. It totally disobeys the plot that I made when I started this fanfic. I originally only wanted Fuji and Ryuzaki-sensei to know that Yuki was a girl. But, I guess Kaidoh can keep secrets, so it shouldn't change it too much. I also considered the order for the tournament- it's the same, except in the anime Kawamura is on reserve and Ryoma plays against St. Rudolph's singles 3 player, Yuuta. It's the opposite in this.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

**Sorry for the late update, but here it is. I do not own Prince of tennis, because Konomi Takeshi does.**

Chapter 11

"My name is actually Asahino Yuki, I'm a tennis prodigy in America, I've won many competitions before, and I'm actually a girl." Yuki confessed.

"A… a girl? But then, why are you at Seigaku's tennis club when it's boys only?" Kaidoh asked, surprised. He was actually quite shocked that one of their regulars was a girl.

"I actually really wanted to come here so much that I cross dressed as a boy. But, I guess it was useless now, since it's going to spread to the whole school." Yuki admitted.

"How?"

"You'll tell them."

"I won't." Kaidoh said with a sincere voice.

"You have no reason not to."

"I don't mind that you're a girl. You won against Inui-senpai, so I have to acknowledge your skills as a tennis player. If you can help us win the nationals, we have no reason to make you leave." Kaidoh said honestly.

"Tezuka-buchou won't allow it, and most of the others won't either."

"They won't know, unless you tell them yourself."

Yuki stared at him for a while. "So… you won't tell them?"

"I won't. But, even if you can help us win, we all have had a chance being the reserve player. There's no reason to be angry." Kaidoh said. Then Yuki realized that she still hadn't told him the truth.

"It wasn't that! I'm not upset at all. Ok, I was a little upset at the beginning. But I actually wanted to play a match with you. I wanted to use an amazing serve, and I had no idea what the Knuckle Serve did…"

"So you weren't just annoyed that you can't play, and tried to make me unable to play so you could take my place?" Kaidoh questioned. Yuki looked at him seriously, and then pulled him into a cute hug. "Yes! I'm really sorry that I hurt you though. I promise I won't use that serve again. Anyway, I've got to go somewhere now, see you tomorrow!" she said with a smile.

Kaidoh's face was a bright red as Yuki put on her wig and ran to the washroom to change into her school uniform. His mind raced, replaying what he had just said. It really _was _fine with him, if she was a girl. He didn't really care either way, but the point was, she was a good tennis player. And that was what mattered.

* * *

><p>Yuki changed as fast as possible, and then ran to the bus stop. She got onto the bus about 5 minutes later, her mind focused on where she would get off.<p>

She had someone to talk to in Rikkai Dai.

* * *

><p>"Hey! Kirihara-senpai!" Yuki called with and angry face.<p>

"Oh, it's Yuki. What're you doing here?" Kirihara replied.

"Tarundoru! We don't like visitors interrupting our practices. If you want to talk to someone, meet them after they're dismissed." Sanada instructed.

"Well, I'd like to, but it's really urgent." Yuki apologized, and glared at Kirihara.

"What? I didn't do anything!" he protested.

Niou walked over, noticing the visitor. "Hm? Who's this? It is your girlfriend, brat?"

"Niou-senpai!" Kirihara complained.

"Puri."

"Well, I'm more of a friend. And, as Kirihara-senpai has done something completely unforgivable, may I borrow him for a few minutes?" Yuki asked politely. Well, depending on how you heard it.

Sanada glanced at his kouhai, who was begging him to say no. "Fine. We expect him to be back in 10 minutes."

"Fukubuchou! I don't want to be alone with Yuki when she's angry!" Kirihara wailed. Needless to say, Yuki dragged him around a corner so no one could hear what they were saying.

"_Why did you teach it to me?_", she demanded. Kirihara looked clueless, so Yuki continued.

"_Because you taught me the Knuckle serve, I got into a lot of trouble!_"

"Oh, that. I wasn't… myself at the time. I felt oddly cruel. So, I probably wanted you to continue my path of causing pain in tennis." Kirihara reasoned.

"_That isn't a good thing!"_

"Well, obviously. Besides, why would you use that serve when you didn't even know what it did?", he asked. Yuki paused. It was a reasonable question. Not wanting to give up, she demanded "At least let me watch a match, then. Play one."

"But-"

"_Now."_

* * *

><p>"Don't Satou-chan and Sanada have a lot in common?" Marui asked. It was true, both frightened Kirihara. Of course, Yuki got along well with Sanada, for obvious reasons.<p>

Yuki had overheard Marui saying that. She thought carefully, and then said "Alright, then. Kirihara-senpai will play against Marui-senpai."

"WHAT? Why? I don't want to!" Kirihara whined.

"Akaya! Think of it as practice. We were in the middle of 3-game matches anyway." Sanada ordered.

"I'll be the referee then," Yuki announced, and sat in the chair, "You two will play a 3 game match, okay? And Kirihara-senpai, make sure that you use _that _serve!"

Kirihara sweatdropped as Marui started chewing on a stick of bubblegum, playing along.

"Kirihara-senpai vs Marui-senpai. Kirihara to serve." Yuki called.

"What? That's unfair, aren't we supposed to spin a racket to decide?" Marui protested. Yuki glared. "Kirihara-senpai will be serving first."

_Great, she probably wants me to use my Knuckle Serve. I don't have anything against Marui-senpai personally, and I don't want to hurt a regular when the tournament is so near. But, it looks like I don't have a choice…_Kirihara sighed. This just wasn't his day.

He gripped the tennis ball with his knuckles and threw it in the air. With a loud "smack", the ball bounced in the service box and hit Marui in his left shoulder. Marui wasn't a lefty, so it wouldn't matter, right?

Marui yelped as the ball slammed into his shoulder. Losing his balance, he fell to the ground, clutching his now bleeding shoulder.

"Akaya! What was that for?" Marui yelled.

"Oi, Marui, are you alright?" Jackal asked, and ran over concerned.

"I'm sure he's fine, he has fat everywhere in his body, even his shoulders." Niou said.

"I'm not fat!"

"Yes you are."

Sanada sighed. Even when Marui's shoulder was injured, they still managed to argue.

"Tarundoru! Niou, take Marui to the infirmary. Satou, have you gotten what you need?"

Yuki smiled. "Yes, I have. But, I'd like to stay a little bit longer, as I'd like to ask Yanagi-senpai about that serve."

* * *

><p>"Sorry about that. I wanted to see Kirihara-senpai's Knuckle Serve, and you just happened to be the one playing against him." Yuki apologized, and handed Marui the chocolate cake she had brought him.<p>

"I didn't just 'happen' to play against him, you were the one who chose! Why didn't you pick Niou to play against him or something, he would have dodged faster!" Marui complained, but still stared greedily at the cake in front of him.

"Maybe, but he would have been more angry than you if he was hit in the shoulder. Just imagine all the pranks…"

Marui shuddered. She had a good point. "Why did you come here, anyway?"

Yuki grinned evilly. "To tell Kirihara-senpai something." She replied. Marui looked annoyed.

"You told Akaya to hit me with that serve, didn't you? You're terrible!"

"It was for a good cause. I'm sure Sanada-san won't mind too much. You're not a lefty, anyway, and you rarely use two-handed shots." She reasoned. Marui stared at her in utter disbelief.

"So you would be fine if I broke your left shoulder?" he questioned, a mischievous spark in his eyes.

"No, I'm also a pianist. I treasure my arms much more than you do." She stated.

"I officially hate you."

* * *

><p>Yuki hummed happily as she skipped to Seigaku's washrooms to change into a boy. She had completed what she wanted to do, and had gotten information on the serve from Yanagi. The user presses the ball between his fingers (more precisely, his knuckles. Hence the name.) and then throws the ball up into the air, which creates a unusual spin on the ball. When the ball bounces, it goes straight for the opponent's body with high speed and destructive power. The direction could only be decided and determined by its user. It was in interesting serve, but she decided to never use it again.<p>

However, once she arrived at the tennis courts after changing, her mood dropped. Everyone was glaring at her. _There's no helping it_, she decided, _I'll just re-build their opinions of me based on my skills._

"Ne, Momo-senpai? We're doing practice matches anyway, so if you're free, can we play a match?" Yuki asked, a girly smile on her face. If she weren't so determined, she would have cringed in annoyance at her girliness.

Momo was visibly hesitant. After all, why should he play against Satou after what he did to the mamushi? "Well… Um, how about we ask Tezuka-buchou? Buchou, can me and Satou play a match?" Momoshiro called.

Tezuka looked over to him. There was a noticeable silence in the courts as everyone wanted to know what Tezuka said. "No. Satou will play against me." He decided. Everyone gasped.

"What if she does something to Tezuka-buchou?" people murmured. Yuki silenced them as she stepped onto the court. "I guess I'll be the referee then…" Momo decided uncertainly.

"Yudan sezu ni ikou."

Yuki nodded, and spun her racket. "Up." She said.

It landed with the logo up. Yuki gulped as she grabbed a tennis ball and headed to the baseline.

"Satou versus Tezuka-buchou! One set match! 0-0." Momo called, although unheard as everyone was debating whether it was safe for Tezuka to play Yuki. Most people were agreeing on "no", but they were interrupted as Yuki served.

She had hit a Twist Serve. Gasps of amazement flood though their spectators as Tezuka missed. Yuki had actually gotten a service ace against their captain.

"15-0!"

And Yuki served again. This time, Tezuka avoided the ball and instead brought his racket up and returned it. More comments of _"Sasuga Tezuka-buchou…" _were heard. It wasn't a return ace, but instead resulted in a heated rally between the captain and the freshman.

A few minutes passed. Then ten. Before they knew it, they had been playing for half an hour. Most of the spectators had left, but all the regulars had stayed to observe their match.

"Ochibi sure seems different, nya! I thought he would use _that_ serve again, the one that hurt Kaidoh." Kikumaru exclaimed, while bouncing up and down as Satou hit a service ace. The regulars agreed.

"But, I actually think he's a really good player. Satou and Tezuka have been playing for a long time now, none of the other players lasted other than the regulars." Oishi commented kindly.

From inside the courts you could hear everything that one may say outside the courts. Or at least, you could when it was quiet. Yuki took a second to glance at Oishi and smile before she returned Tezuka's shot.

_Finally. They've acknowledged me, haven't they? I'm glad I decided to go to Seigaku._

And she smiled for the rest of the match.

**A/N Wow, this was long. Probably quite irrelevant at times also, like when Yuki goes to Rikkai. But I just had to put in Marui after I heard his song "Taisetsu na hito". Listen to it, it's awesome! **

**Also, I've started to use a tiny bit of Japanese in this fanfiction. I find it easier for myself, as I can keep some of the anime terms (like Momo calling Kaidoh "Mamushi"), and the honorifics. If anyone finds this confusing or doesn't understand, leave a review of PM me and I'll either explain everything at the end of the chapter, or turn it into 100% English.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

**Two chapters in 2 days :)**

**Wow, this fanfic is finally at it's 12****th**** chapter. Never thought it'd go on this long, considering it STILL hasn't gotten to the climax. But, from now on I'll be skipping tournaments with boring schools, like how I skipped Gyakurin. So I'll skip Josei Shounan (even though I actually like this school), Higa chuu (because I really didn't see the point of them), and Rokkaku (I don't even think Ryoma was in that tournament). The remaining schools are: Rikkai, Hyotei, and Shitenhouji. (and I already did St. Rudolph and almost Yamabuki). Also maybe Fudoumine. The first 3 are my favourite schools (and Seigaku), so there's no way I'd skip them ^_^**

**If it wasn't already obvious, I don't own TeniPuri.**

Chapter 12

It was the day after the Tokyo Preliminaries. Seigaku had won 3 matches to 1. It was dramatic at times, especially when Yuuta had kept repeating that he wasn't "Fuji's older brother", he was "Yuuta". But in the end, everything was settled and both Fuji Syuusuke and Fuji Yuuta were happy. It was a nice conclusion of the competition that made everyone smile in the end, even the losing St. Rudolph.

And, even if only a little bit, the regulars had acknowledged Yuki as a good player. They knew that they could rely on her if any of the regulars were hurt or couldn't play.

Yuki wasn't completely satisfied with this- she was originally a Singles 1 player back in America- but it was a start, right?

"Yuki-kun! Can you help me carry these balls back to the storage room?" Kachiro called, standing in front of 2 baskets of tennis balls. _Huh? When did I say he could call me by my first name?_ Yuki thought. Then she remembered. _Right. First of all, I'm the same age of him- no, I'm younger by a few months- and second, I'm a guy now. It makes sense…_

"Ah, yes, I'll be right there!" she answered, then clapped a hand to her mouth as she used the feminine pronunciation of "I". Well, hopefully he didn't notice…

He didn't. Yuki headed over to the baskets, and picked one up. She started a casual conversation with Kachiro as they walked towards the storage room. "Here it is!" Kachiro pointed cheerfully.

"Give me a ball." A voice behind them said. Well, more like demanded. He didn't exactly say it in a nice way.

The 2 freshmen turned to face the person. "I'm sorry, these are Seigaku's tennis balls. I can't give them to strangers." Kachiro explained, slightly frightened. The person's eyes scared him.

Akutsu Jin, a Yamabuki tennis player, glared at him. He raised his voice, repeating what he said. Kachiro shuddered, obviously afraid. The person who Yuki recognized as Akutsu grabbed a ball from the bucket.

"B-but, we can't give our tennis balls-"

Yuki gasped as the ball slammed into Kachiro's stomach, knocking out his breath, and making Kachiro remain on the ground frozen. Yuki quickly looked back at Akutsu. He was using a stick to serve the tennis ball he had grabbed. Quickly, Akutsu grabbed another one and served again, this time aiming at Yuki's face.

She managed to dodge with seconds to spare. Quickly, regaining her breath, she ran as fast as she could to where the other regulars were. She had to tell someone, and get Kachiro to the nurse, now!

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the regulars, gasping for air with a horrified look on her face and a bleeding cheek, Yuki realized how terrible she had just been.<p>

It really wasn't her fault. She was a girl, after all. She had been told to always run away and get help when someone threatened or hurt her. But right now, she was a boy. She couldn't run away frightened and cry anymore. The realization struck her quickly.

What she had just accomplished was to simply watch as a friend was hit with a tennis ball, get hit herself, run away and have Akutsu think she was a coward (and Kachiro too), go to the regulars intending to have them help her somehow and do something about Kachiro, and stand in front of them like an idiot.

Suddenly, she was angry with herself, and brought a hand to her bleeding cheek. For all she knew, Akutsu could be hurting Kachiro more, and maybe vandalizing Seigaku's property.

"Ochibi, what happened to your cheek? Why do you look so scared, nya?" Kikumaru asked cluelessly. Oishi immediately rushed over to her, looking at her cheek and trying to calm her down.

_No! I need to go back, now…_

Yuki softly batted Oishi's hand away, turned her expression into a determined one, and sped off in the direction she came from. She turned around for a brief second while she said a quick "Gomen, senpai-tachi!" and then sped off again.

* * *

><p>Not surprisingly, Akutsu wasn't there when she returned. But she noticed that a few balls were missing, and decided that the stranger had taken them. She rushed over to Kachiro.<p>

"Kachiro-kun! Daijoubu?" Yuki helped Kachiro up, and guided him to the nurse. The nurse looked worried as Kachiro entered the room looking half-unconscious. "What happened to him?" she turned to face Yuki.

"He was hit in the stomach with a tennis ball."

The nurse looked skeptical, but decided to believe him, as Yuki wore the Seigaku regular's jacket. "I'll tend to him now. May I have your name? If I need someone to explain it to his friends or family…" the nurse looked at Yuki expectantly. Yuki sweatdropped.

There was no student named "Satou Yuki" in the student directory. But, she had to leave a name…

"Um, Satoshi Horio. I have 2 years of tennis experience." She tried to say it in a proud voice, but it came out as a guilty whisper. The nurse quickly noted down the name, and shooed Yuki out of the office as she looked for medicine.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Satou, what was that about earlier?" Momoshiro questioned between mouthfuls of water. They had just played a vigorous match, and he needed the drink. The regulars' heads turned to Satou, all curious to know.<p>

Satou was currently sitting on the bench, wincing every time the cotton ball touched her cheek. Oishi carefully attached a bandage after disinfecting the wound, and said that she would be fine now. Well, now she had a large bandage covering most of her right cheek.

"Um, it was nothing, I just thought I'd lost something and wanted to see if it was here." She replied weakly.

"Then how did you hurt your cheek?" Fuji asked. "I…fell down the stairs." She lied. Everyone stared at her in obvious disbelief, but their attention was returned to Tezuka after he cleared his throat.

"As the 2nd round of the Tokyo Preliminaries approaches, Ryuzaki-sensei and myself have discussed the playing order again. It will be as follows," Tezuka started. The regulars stared at him in suspense.

"Doubles 2, Fuji and Kawamura. Doubles 1, Kikumaru and Oishi. Singles 3, Momoshiro." Tezuka said. "And Singles 1, Tezuka. That leaves Singles 2." Ryuzaki explained.

"Satou, if you want, you can play in doubles 2 against Akutsu Jin. That would leave Kaidoh in the reserve position." Tezuka informed. The team looked at Yuki, all expecting him to say yes.

_Akutsu Jin?! There's no way I can win against an opponent that powerful! I can barely hit a powerful smash, and Akutsu is the strongest player I know! Not to mention he also injured me so easily this morning. If I play, I'll surely be hurt even more, and my disguise would be revealed. I know it's selfish, but I just can't play. Kaidoh will have a better chance, _Yuki thought.

"Can…Can I be the reserve player…?" Yuki asked, ashamed of herself. Last round she was longing for a position, and now she was asking to be put on reserve. "I…I think m-maybe Kaidoh-senpai would be a better player…" She stared at the floor. The team looked at her in surprise.

"Then, Kaidoh will be playing in Singles 2." Tezuka finished.

"What? Satou, I thought you wanted to play! You're not supposed to _want _to be the reserve player!" Momoshiro argued. Yuki shifted her gaze uncomfortably as the murmuring spread again through the other players after hearing her decision.

"Satou is scared!" "I bet he actually isn't even a good tennis player!"

Yuki frowned. In women's tennis, there weren't many players that were THAT strong. She had quickly become friends with the powerful players, and as a result, she had never actually played against a powerful player before. It wasn't fair that when she finally had a chance to play, it was against a player who strong point was her weakness.

**A/N I've never really liked the power players of the schools. It's annoying how they can usually win because they're stronger, and not because they're more talented and use more technique. I really like Fuji and Kikumaru's styles of tennis, as they're creative and interesting to watch. Anyway, I'm pretty sure I got the positions for the tournament right. I didn't feel like re-watching the entire Seigaku vs Yamabuki arc, so I kind of had to guess from the titles of the episodes. Also, since I'll be skimming over the Seigaku vs Yamabuki, the next chapter will probably introduce Hyotei, in the Kanto tournament. I'm not sure whether my estimates of the winner are correct. So, it would be appreciated if someone could tell me if I got anything wrong with this list:**

**(Kantou) Seigaku's results against Hyotei**

**D2 Eiji-Momo vs Gakuto-Oshitari? (win)**

**D1 Inui-Kaidoh (lose?) vs Otori-Shishido**

**S1 Kawamura vs Kabaji (both lose?)**

**S2 Fuji vs Jirou (win)**

**S1 Tezuka vs Atobe (win?)**

**Reserves: Hiyoshi vs Ryoma (win?)**


End file.
